Publisher's Summary

Navajo tribal cops Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito and their mentor, the legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, investigate two perplexing cases in this exciting Southwestern mystery from the New York Times best-selling author of Spider Woman's Daughter.

Doing a good deed for a relative offers the perfect opportunity for Sergeant Jim Chee and his wife, Officer Bernie Manuelito, to get away from the daily grind of police work. But two cases will call them back from their short vacation and separate them - one near Shiprock and the other at iconic Monument Valley.

Chee follows a series of seemingly random and cryptic clues that lead to a missing woman, a coldblooded thug, and a mysterious mound of dirt and rocks that could be a gravesite. Bernie has her hands full managing the fallout from a drug bust gone wrong, uncovering the origins of a fire in the middle of nowhere, and looking into an ambitious solar energy development with long-ranging consequences for Navajo land.

Under the guidance of their mentor, retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, Bernie and Chee will navigate unexpected obstacles and confront the greatest challenge yet to their skills, commitment, and courage.

Officer Bernie Manuelito and Sergeant Jim Chee start a brief vacation when two cases cause them to forgo the vacation. Chee has a case of a missing women and a mysterious mound of dirt and rocks. Bernie is managing the fallout from a drug bust gone wrong. She uncovers the origins of a fire in the middle of nowhere. She is also looking into an ambitious solar energy development with consequences for the Navajos. All the while she is dealing with her sister’s drinking problem.

The book is well written and researched as to Navajo culture. The descriptions of the four corners area are excellent. Anne has kept the book authentic, but she has put her own signature on it. She is not duplicating her father’s style but applying her own style to the series. She features Bernie Manuelito more than Chee or Leaphorn. She has managed to keep the flavor of her father’s stories while inserting her own. In this story the author had a bit of a problem with the plot. It appeared a bit formulated. Her prior book had a better developed plot. I am looking forward to seeing what she does with the next book.

The book is about ten and half hours long. Christina Delaine does a good job narrating the story. Delaine is a voice over artist and audiobook narrator.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Davida

19/05/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great Book"

Another great book by Anne Hillerman. So glad she has continued the Chee / Leaphorn books. The stories have been seamless and just as exciting.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Ciaca Davila

Bluff, UT United States

15/05/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"The Navajo Police save the day again"

The story follows the line of the other Hillerman novels with all the characters that we love. The reading of the Navajo words and accents of the Navajo people were very distracting to me. I wish they would find a native reader for these novels!!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Elizabeth

United States

27/08/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Happy to See Anne Picking up where her father left"

Where does Rock with Wings rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the better ones.

What other book might you compare Rock with Wings to and why?

Any Tony Hillerman novels. Picking up with characters her father created Anne keeps you from wondering "what ever happened to Chee and the others.?

Have you listened to any of Christina Delaine’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't listened to toheres.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Navajo mystery the next generation.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the book. Though not as detailed in Navajo culture, still a good story and nice to hear a woman's take on the characters.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Nancy

Old Lyme, CT, United States

22/05/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"very disappointed"

Would you ever listen to anything by Anne Hillerman again?

Maybe, I love reading about the Southwest. I looked forward to listening to this book but was very disappointed.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator read the conversation in a slooooooow "Native American" dialect...giving the wrong impression of her characters.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

RockChalk

DURANGO, CO, US

3/05/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"No Native Americans for narration?"

Ms Hilerman does a good job carrying on stories in her father's style. I enjoyed the story, but had great difficulty with the narrator. I know she is an accomplished performer, but lacked the ability to carry off the Navajo characters. are there no Native American, especially Navajo, narrators? surely Ms Hillerman could find one?

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

retiredsandy

18/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"So Disappointing"

What would have made Rock with Wings better?

Having a different narrator would have helped. I have never given a narrator a poor rating before and I have listened to dozens of books, but this narration was really bad and made most of the Native-American characters sound dim-witted. The writing was also disappointing and predictable. Some of the lines were dreadful.

Has Rock with Wings turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. I love the characters and was looking forward to the book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Di-zee

Iowa City, Iowa United States

31/05/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good but too slow"

Enjoyed the glimpses of Navajo culture and beliefs, but the plot moved a bit too slowly with the main characters asking themselves the same question over and over.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Patricia L Stacy

Mariposa, CA USA

9/05/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Better than her dad!"

If you could sum up Rock with Wings in three words, what would they be?

Monumental Western Landscape.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bernie for sheer grit.

Which scene was your favorite?

Visiting Joe Leaphorn at the end and tying up all the loose ends.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Hearing all the old names from the Tony Hillerman books I have read and loved.

Any additional comments?

I know I will listen to this many times. The gentle caring relationships among the characters warms the heart.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Thomas

14/02/18

Overall

Performance

Story

"Consistent!"

Great recording, good story. Wish there was more about Navajo traditions. Not ridiculously complex making the story more believable. Thanks!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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Olga the Owl

10/08/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Sadly, not a patch on the original"

What would have made Rock with Wings better?

The pace of the first half of the book was very slow and the writing style nothing like as good as Tony Hillerman's originals - I was concurrently re-reading Thief of Time, and the style is so much smoother and more engaging. At the half-way point I still wasn't really involved in the story - in fact, I looked to see how long I had left and it was 'oh no, I'm only half-way through!'

Has Rock with Wings put you off other books in this genre?

No, I shall continue to listen to Tony Hillerman books (and read them in print!)

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I guess. As a general thing I find men doing women's voices better than the other way about, although I hate to admit it. And someone should tell Christina Delaine how Europeans pronounce Gisela!

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Rock with Wings?

All the stuff about Mamma and Darlene.

Any additional comments?

Anne Hillerman's earlier work Spider Woman's Daughter was very much better but I can't see me bothering with any more of these.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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